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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23530876">I'll Always Be There</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/marinesworld/pseuds/marinesworld'>marinesworld</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:33:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,063</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23530876</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/marinesworld/pseuds/marinesworld</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Andrew and Meredith talk about Richard and their relationship in the middle of the night. Picks up right after the 16x20 last scene.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Meredith Grey/Andrew DeLuca</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I'll Always Be There</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey everyone! I had this idea just after seeing the episode and I hope you'll like it! Happy reading!<br/>Also, English is not my native language so I hope there won't be any mistakes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andrew and Meredith had been working on Richard’s case for hours but they had only found a few possible diagnoses. Both of them felt like they were running in circles, each time an idea popped into their heads, it was ruled out by the exam results which had already been done. It was now almost 3 in the morning, Andrew and Meredith were both feeling tired and they had to wait for morning to run some exams and test their theories. Meredith fell back on the chair and sighed.</p>
<p>“Do you want to call it a night?” Andrew asked her, noticing how tired she was.</p>
<p>“No, we need to figure this out”</p>
<p>“Come on, Mer. I can see how tired you are. We’ve been doing this for hours and we need to wait till morning to do the exams anyway. We should take a break.”</p>
<p>Meredith looked at him and she knew he was right. Deep down, she knew that they wouldn’t find much more tonight but she didn’t want to stop. She was not allowed to stop. Richard had always been there for her, he had always taken care of her and supported her whenever her life was falling apart. She had no right to abandon him now.</p>
<p>“I… I can’t. I need to keep working and I need to give Richard all the time I have because I can’t let him down” Meredith put her head between her hands and sighed deeply.</p>
<p>“I know but, Mer, you won’t. You have been working for hours and Richard won’t be disappointed in you if you stop for a while. I’m sure he knows that you’re doing everything you can to find what is wrong. But you know as well as I do that we need to take a break so that we can do better work” Andrew was looking right into her eyes.</p>
<p>“Says the man who worked for days while being exhausted.” Meredith retorted, laughing a little.</p>
<p>“Well, you have a point but that is precisely why you shouldn’t do what I did. Please.” Andrew said, tilting his head a little and begging her to listen to him. Meredith looked at him and finally gave in “Fine! I’ll try to get some sleep”</p>
<p>“Thank you. So… I guess I’ll go to an on-call room then” Andrew gave her a small smile before turning around and heading towards the door. He was about to grab the door handle when Meredith stopped him.</p>
<p>“Andrew, wait! Do you mind if I come with you? Hum… The couch is a little too small for me”</p>
<p>“Of course not.”</p>
<p>“Thank you” Meredith smiled and they both got out of the room. They walked side by side, all the while letting a small distance between them and not a single word was said. Andrew didn’t really know how to act or what to say to her given their current situation. He knew he had hurt her deeply a few weeks ago by rejecting her and telling her that he didn’t love her. He simply wished he could take it all back but he knew it was impossible and he hated himself for causing her pain. Her life had not always been easy and the last thing he wanted to do was hurting her, but it was too late now. They would have to talk about it all, for sure, but right now was not the time. Right now, Richard was the only thing that mattered.<br/>The hospital was pretty calm at this hour and there weren’t a lot of people in the corridors. Meredith and Andrew entered the on-call room, not caring if anyone saw them enter together, and closed the door.</p>
<p>Meredith was the first to break the silence “I’ll take the top bunk, if that’s okay with you”</p>
<p>“Yeah, no problem” Andrew answered. Meredith climbed the small ladder and laid down on the bed. She sighed and stared at the ceiling. This day had been challenging, both mentally and physically, and she couldn’t wait to find Richard’s disease and know that he would be safe. She would do everything in her power to save that man who was the only one she ever considered as a father. She was interrupted in her thoughts by Andrew.</p>
<p>“Good night, Mer” he said quietly.</p>
<p>“Good night, Andrew” Meredith knew she wouldn’t get much sleep tonight because of Richard but the fact that Andrew was sleeping in the bed under her didn’t help either. She had no idea where they stood right now but there was one thing she was sure of: she loved him. She had the impression that things were getting a little better since Andrew had been suspended. He had texted to thank her for the way she had helped him after his breakdown and she had also checked on him several times, wanting to know if he was okay and telling him she was there if he needed someone to talk to. And now, the fact that he had offered his help to work on Richard’s case warmed her heart. Even if Richard was his friend, he also knew that this man was important to Meredith and so a part of her couldn’t help but think that he was also doing this for her. He had always been so thoughtful and she knew that she could count on him whenever she needed to.<br/>It had been almost half an hour since Andrew had wished her good night but Meredith couldn’t sleep, she had too much on her mind.</p>
<p>“Andrew? Are you asleep?” she whispered.</p>
<p>“No, I can’t sleep” Andrew sighed and waited for her to answer.</p>
<p>“Me neither” Meredith sat up and leant against the wall.</p>
<p>“What’s on your mind?”</p>
<p>“Well, Richard among other things”</p>
<p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Andrew wasn’t sure she would say yes but he wanted to give it a try. After a few seconds, Meredith still hadn’t answered so he figured that she didn’t want to talk but that’s when he heard her move in the bed and climb down the ladder. She approached him and stopped at the foot of his bed.</p>
<p>“Can I lie down with you?”</p>
<p>“Uh… sure go ahead” Andrew shifted a little so he could make a little space for her on the bed. Meredith laid down on her back and put her head on the pillow, just next to Andrew’s. They were very close since this bed was supposed to be a single one and this closeness felt very intimate. Andrew wanted to take her in his arms so badly but he didn’t know if he still had the right to so he decided to stay put.</p>
<p>Meredith cleared her throat before she started speaking “You know, I’ve had a lot on my mind these last few months and this thing with Richard is too much. A lot happened in my life… the people I’ve lost because they left or died, the tragic events that happened, the deceptions… It’s a lot to handle for one person and I’m not trying to complain or wallow in self-pity but every time I think that life is finally going to give me a break, something bad happens and I’m tired of it, that’s all.” Meredith didn’t expect to say all these things but she needed to let it all go and she knew that Andrew would listen and understand her.</p>
<p>“I’m so sorry for everything that happened to you, Mer, and I hate myself for being a part of that too”</p>
<p>Meredith turned her head so she could look at him “What do you mean by that?”</p>
<p>Andrew looked at her “Well, a few months ago, I was stupid enough to ask for a break when you needed me the most. I thought this break would be good for us but it only grew us apart, Mer. And I know how much I hurt you with the things I said, you were just trying to help me and I pushed you away… So, what I mean is that I’m sorry for being part of the bad things happening in your life.”</p>
<p>Meredith could feel tears building in her eyes after listening to what he said. She couldn’t believe he thought that of himself. Andrew was the new love of her life, he was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time but here he was, feeling guilty and she couldn’t let him think that he was bad for her when it was the complete opposite. Meredith turned around completely so she could face him and she put her hand on his chest.</p>
<p>“Andrew, I don’t want you to ever think that. Yes, we went through a rough patch but this is something which happens to all couples. You stood by me every step of the way when I was fighting for my licence, you went to jail for me so I could stay with my kids… You don’t realize how much you helped me at that time and how good it felt to know that you were there for me. Andrew, you’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been since Derek died and I’m really grateful to have you in my life so, please, stop feeling guilty.” Meredith was now caressing his cheek and she slowly turned his head to make him look into her eyes. Andrew took this as his cue to put her into his arms. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo, oh how much he had missed it.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry. It’s just that I had some time to think during my suspension and I realized how much I hurt you. I thought I had lost you for good and I was so mad at myself for that.”</p>
<p>“You didn’t lose me so you need to stop being angry at yourself, okay?”</p>
<p>“Okay.” Andrew looked into her eyes and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. He was always so protective and Meredith loved that about him. She sighed contently and put her head on his chest, closing her eyes. “So… do you want to tell me what’s been bugging you with Richard?”</p>
<p>“He called me Ellis”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Earlier today he had disappeared from his room and I found him in the OR, he was holding a scalpel trying to cut his own abdomen. I tried to take it away from him and he called me Ellis”</p>
<p>Andrew brought her closer to him and squeezed her arm a little to show his support “I’m so sorry for that, Mer”</p>
<p>“It’s okay, don’t worry. It’s just that with everything that happened with my mom when she was sick, and the way she behaved sometimes, I don’t want the same happening to Richard. He has always been there for me when I needed someone, just like I’ve always been there for him. You know, he was devastated when my mother left him all those years ago and I know that he never really got over her. She was the love of his life and I think that is one of the reasons why he cares so much about me. He knows that my father was not the greatest one and so I think that he tried to fill the void my father left and I think that taking care of me brings him closer to my mother, in a way. And even when he discovered that Maggie existed, he never stopped being there. He is the only man I ever considered as a father so it kills me to see him like that.” Meredith took a deep breath and wiped the tears falling on her cheeks while Andrew gave her another kiss on the forehead and held her close. He knew that this was hard on her and he wanted to bring her as much comfort as he could.</p>
<p>“I promise you we will find what is wrong with him. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”</p>
<p>Meredith raised her head and looked in his eyes “Thank you, for everything you’ve done.”</p>
<p>“Always” he said, smiling.</p>
<p>Meredith smiled before kissing his shoulder and putting her head back on his chest. She closed her eyes and put her arm around his waist. “You’re amazing” And just like that, Meredith fell asleep in the arms of the man she loved.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I hope you liked it. I'm sure that Andrew and Meredith will find the diagnosis together and I can't wait to see that happen. I'm really stressed out about the final though, I hope Richard will be okay and merluca too.<br/>Anyway, feel free to comment or put kudos because it means a lot! see you soon and stay safe :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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